Toothbrush



Jan. 31, 1928. 1,657,450

H. BARNES TOOTHBRUSH Filed Feb. 12. 1926 ll 2| V 'G Fl Grl) attorwnr Patented Jan. 31, 1928.

UNITED STATES.

HENRY BARNES, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

TOOTHIBR'USH.

Application filed February 12, 1926. Serial No. 87,789.

One of the chief causes of diseases of the mouth is improper use of the tooth brush. Experience has shown that the popular methods employed in the brushing of teeth have produced injury to -the gingivae, in that the manner in which the brush is grasped bythe hand and the pressure which is exerted under vigorous muscu lar tension, together with the scrubbing and brushing to and fro, upand down, circularly and rotary, ha've a tendency and actually do force the gingivae from their nor-.

mal cervical constriction, and thereby induce gingivitis. Experience has also shown that food lodged underneath the lacerated and inflamed gums, on being forced between the teeth and gums has caused spong gums, which later 'permit the development of pockets and ultimately allow the establishment of pyorrhea,

Considerable thought and ingenuity have been expended in an endeavor to effect a satisfactory cleansing of the mouth, but the remedies have been directed toward the adaptation of existing brushes, the bristles of which are only adapted to act on the surface of the teeth at right angles to the-axes thereof Moreover, an attempt to force the bristles into the intrdental space at right angles to the long axes of the teeth, tends to cause'the gums to be flattened on their interdental apices. As a result, the gums will lose their interproximal apical form.

Aprincipal object of the present invention is to provide a brush by means of which proper interdental brushing may be obtained. in this connection I contemplate the provision of a brush which when properly used, as will be hereinafter set forth, will conserve the dental tissues, will cause the gums to form about the teeth in the proper direction, and will effect a thorough cleansing action of the interdental spaces. Moreover a brush made in accordance with my invention and when used as hereinafter set forth will produce a gentle stimulating message of the gum tissues without irritation or observable tooth abrasion.

1n the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tooth brush embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the brush; Figs. 3 and 4 are sections taken through the brush on planes indicated by the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 1; Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating the manner in palm of which my brush is intended to be held dur- 111g use. 1

I have illustrated my brush as having a single row of bristles which are carried in a brush head, or back 10 which may be formed of any suitable'material in one piece with the handle 11. The width. of the head is sutficient only for providing the necessary mechanical strength to support a single row of bristles whereby a comparatively small head is obtained.

The arrangement of the tufts ofvbristles and their relation to each other as wellas theirshape are important characteristics of the present invention. For example, I have illustrated five tufts in a single row, as indicated at 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 respectively. One similarity of the tufts is the fact that the edge of each is beveled to form a knife-edge across the center. The tufts l6 and 18, however, are different-from the remaining tufts in that they are relatively shorter and that the beveled edges extend in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the handle, while the remaining tufts, namely 15, 17 and 19 have the bevelededges extending in a direction transversely to the longitudinal direction of the handle. Thus I provide a brush wherein the edges are arranged alternately at substantially right angles to each other, and wherein tufts-of long and short bristles are arranged alternately to each other. The

beveled edges of the long tufts, however, extend parallel to each other while the beveled edges of the short tufts are substantially in alignment with each other.

To use a brush made in accordance with my invention, a pivotal hold is made with the tip of the thumb and forefinger close to the bristles. This manner of holding the brush will permit the compensating action of the brush, hand and wrist to follow the contour of the dental arch. Accordingly the brush hold must be flexible rather than (ill rigid and the brush should be held between the thumb and finger tips rather than in the the hand. The position illustrated in Fig. 5 is that employed by a right handed person who is about to clean the upper right hand side of the mouth, while the position illustrated in Fig. 6 is that used by a right handed person who is about to clean the u per left hand side of the mouth In cleanlng the upper portion of the mouth, the side of the brush is laid on the cervical margin of the upper gum and inclined toan angle of about degrees with the gum. Then with a slight arm and shoulder motion the .brush is brought gently downward and inward so that the eldges of the bristles 15,17 and 19 pass along t 1e while the bristles 16 and 18 pass down along the gums, then over the outer surface of the teeth. During this downward motion the brush is jiggled so as to work the bristles more thoroughly into the interdental spaces. For brushing the lower gums and teeth, the position of the brush is reversed and the operation is repeated. During the brushing operation the bristles do not leave the surface but slide down and slide upon the upper jaw, and slide up and slide down on the lower jaw, whereby a gentle massaging effect is obtained without injuryto the tissue.

' To facilitate the pivotal holding of the brush, I provide a concave surface 20 along one side of the handle and another concave surface 21 along the opposite side of the handle. These concave surfaces provide grooves which function as guides into which the tips of the fingers naturally fall when the brush is to be used, and are helpful in that they enable the user to guide the brush in the proper manner during the brushing operation. Moreover the grooves tend to obviate the tendency for one to grasp the gums and then inward between the teeth,

neonate the concave construction is employed in a transverse as well as in a longitudinal direction.

I have found that a tooth brush made in accordance with the present invention and used as heretofore described has beneficial effects not only in modifying injuries which may be due to improper brushing or other causes, but also for insuring the maintenance of healthy gum tissue in a surprising man ner;

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A tooth brush having a series of tufts of bristles arranged in a row, each tuft having the end thereof beveled, and the beveled edges'being arranged alternately at substantially right angles to each other.

2. A tooth brush having a series of spaced single tufts of bristles arranged in a row, some of the tufts being comparatively long and others being comparatively short, the

long and short tufts being arranged alternately, the short tufts being beveled in the form of a knife-edge, and the edges being substantially in alignment with each other.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my.

signature.

HENRY BARNES. 

